This version of Ruiz would knock Joshua out, but I was in great condition and ready for everything he had to offer.” “I was a better fighter than Andy Ruiz expected. I’m ready to run it back with Andy,” Arreola said. But he just couldn’t seize his short window to capitalize early in the fight. If there was a moral victory for Arreola, he never got dropped or looked severely hurt. Arreola ate all the punches and barely flinched. In the 11th, he picked up the pace a bit more with lead rights and started the 12th looking to score the knockout with a series of vicious flurries. He simply couldn’t get off the shots he was landing in the second and third rounds.Ī more patient Ruiz started measuring his shots more in the 10th as he piled on points on the scorecards. To Arreola’s credit, he never hugged or held or made the fight a sloppy one. By round nine, Arreola’s output had dwindled. Ruiz introduced a body attack in the eighth and Arreola simply couldn’t answer. The fatigue appeared to carry into the seventh as Ruiz was the busier fighter and showing off his fast hands and landing hard shots. Ruiz picked up right where he left off to begin the sixth with a three-punch combination. The feverish pace slowed in the fifth, but Ruiz still was damage-minded, rocking Arreola twice in the final minute with a pair of overhand right hands. The most important thing was that we came back and got the victory.” “I got a little overconfident in the early rounds. If he wants to run it back, we’ll run it back with him,” Ruiz said. “I felt a little rust and I know other fighters can relate to that. #RuizArreola /cWjFtDlEm6- Manouk Akopyan May 2, 2021 He wants to get back in the gym ASAP and fight at his new weight at 255 pounds. Reynoso proved to be the whisperer and taskmaster the 31-year-old Ruiz needed to resurrect his career, at least for Saturday night.īehind on the scorecards early and welts and redness developing under his eyes, Ruiz regained his bearings and reclaimed momentum in the fourth.Īndy Ruiz said he was feeling rusty and he underestimated Chris Arreola. After a battle with depression and going up to 310 pounds, Ruiz decided to switch trainers and handed the keys to his career to heralded Eddy Reynoso, the respected coach and confidant of Canelo Álvarez. The humbling defeat was more than enough reason for Ruiz to reconsider his future. The already portly pugilist ballooned from 268 pounds to 283 for the rematch just six months later and lost in a landslide decision. The accolades and newfound fame and money that came with the life-changing win proved to be too much for Ruiz, and he soon unraveled. Ruiz was boxing’s Cinderella story in 2019 when he pulled off the shocker of the century by knocking out Anthony Joshua to become the first fighter of Mexican descent to capture the heavyweight crown. #RuizArreola /qhK5iBLc9Q- Manouk Akopyan May 2, 2021 He knows he clearly hurt Ruiz but admitted he was cautious while going for the finish. Ruiz (34-2, 22 knockouts) survived a rusty and bumpy start in the second round highlighted by getting knocked down, and a third round in which he was severely wobbled, to recover and win a rugged affair by scores of 117-110, 118-109 and 118-109.Ĭhris Arreola ripped the judging after the fight. The Mexican American fighters were looking to polish their presence in the heavyweight picture, mere days before Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that is a bit like boxing’s Super Bowl week.Ī dedicated and disciplined Ruiz reemerged and proved he’s ready, living up to his nickname of “The Destroyer” by beating Arreola via unanimous decision in front of a feisty, 33% capacity crowd of 3,940. California hosted a boxing card with fans for the first time since the pandemic started, and the Saturday night show featured two of Southern California’s home-grown boxing sons looking to revive their careers.ĭignity Health Sports Park hosted the heavyweight showdown between former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr., from Imperial, and three-time world title challenger Chris Arreola, from Riverside.
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